Reprieve
by trufflemores
Summary: 5x08 Christmas fix it fic. 2013, Christmas Eve. The Loft. Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Dani. Klaine have an intimate moment during their first Christmas together at the loft. Kurt/Blaine. COMPLETE.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Glee or any of its characters; Ryan Murphy and Co. hold that honor. I'm simply writing this for fun, not profit.

**Christmas fix it fic. 2013, Christmas Eve. The Loft. Complete with Klaine Christmas duet. Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Dani. ****~2,000 words.**

"Okay, Wonder Twins, we are _not _watching _The Sound of Music _again."

"_Yes, _we are, Santana," Kurt says, words a little slurred around the edges as he swings a bottle of God knows what in her direction. Blaine gently eases it from his fingers and sets the bottle aside as Kurt cuddles down comfortably in his arms, lips smacking as he adds, "I have the best taste."

"Of course you do," Blaine agrees, kissing the top of his head lightly. Originally opposed to the thought of being drunk on Christmas Eve, he knows how hard everything is without Finn, and he can't deny Kurt the simple comfort of inebriation. Rachel has already left to spend the holidays with her dads, and Blaine's grateful; he barely knows how to keep his own boyfriend together, let alone his self-appointed best friend. He loves both of them, but loving hurts when it means sitting back and watching your boyfriend cry over a letterman jacket, tangling his arms in Kurt's and holding him until the pain slowly ebbs away. Doing the same for Rachel is almost unbearable, a sort of sacred distance kept until she lets them in, lets them protect her from the world again; he's grateful that the pressure is off him even as a quiet sort of guilt settles into his stomach for being relieved.

Still, after the initial hesitation to surrender the key to the liquor cabinet (the fact that they even _have _a liquor cabinet is entirely Santana's fault), Blaine's even more glad that he gave in. Kurt hasn't stopped humming _My Favorite Things _since the first batch of chocolate chip cookies went in the oven; Blaine can tell that he isn't even fully aware of it, rubbing his cheek against Blaine's sweater-clad shoulder happily. Leaning down to kiss his temple and rubbing his arm with a lazy hand, he asks softly, "Do you want any water? You've been drinking all night."

"I want kisses," Kurt corrects, leaning up to plant a sloppy kiss to the corner of his nose, whining when Blaine laughs. "Stop it," he grumbles, settling his head petulantly against his shoulder. "Your lips are so far away."

Laughing harder at that, Blaine cuddles him closer in his arms as Kurt lets out a slurry, "I'm never gonna kiss you again."

"Never?" Blaine wheedles, peppering kisses along his cheek as Kurt hums, tilting his head back. "Never ever?"

"Kiss me," Kurt whines, reaching up to paw at his face clumsily, and Blaine humors him with an exaggerated _mwah_ even as Santana makes a gagging noise in the corner.

"You two are actually the most ridiculous people I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"They're cute," Dani corrects, leaning over to tangle her own arms around Santana's waist briefly and kissing her cheek once before padding over to the couch. "Scoot, boys," she adds, as Kurt lets out a soft groan of disapproval, whining loudly when she climbs on top of them both and cuddles in.

"Blaaaaine, she's smothering me."

"If you catch their cooties, I'm not kissing you," Santana pronounces, pulling out a bag of popcorn from the microwave and padding over to one of the armchairs, sliding into it easily. "I think it's time we watched _The Shining,_" she says, popping a kernel into her mouth even as Kurt groans.

"_No, _Santana," he insists, even as she gets up and grabs the remote from the coffee table. "Santana!" Burying his face in Blaine's neck, he adds loudly, "I'm not watching this."

Blaine rubs his back soothingly as Dani rolls off them, padding over to slide up behind Santana on the armchair instead. It doesn't take much persuasion to move her, shifting forward to accommodate Dani's presence, and as the opening credits to _It's a Wonderful Life _play, Blaine can't help but smile even as his boyfriend lets out a soft noise of disapproval.

"Honey, it's not _The Shining,_" he insists, but Kurt's already asleep, snoring loudly as his grip loosens on Blaine's shirt.

Sighing to himself as he loops his arms across Kurt's back and pulls him close, Blaine closes his own eyes, breathing his boyfriend in.

This time last year, he was lucky enough just to be in the same room as Kurt, sharing uncertain glances over Burt's head, unspoken questions loud in the silence. They hadn't known where they stood, then, whether they were boyfriends or friends or something in between, but Blaine knew that Kurt's acceptance of his present had been a good sign. Kurt had rejected most of his gifts outright during those first few weeks after their breakup; Blaine had known the risk that he was taking when he arrived in New York without even telling Kurt that he was coming. But Burt was there and Burt _wanted _him to be there and that was enough for him.

And, apparently, for Kurt, too.

It's different now, of course; they're happy and in love and, finally, _together._ Blaine didn't even know if they could be friends again after their breakup. The fact that Kurt and he are _engaged _just makes his heart skip a beat and a little more love seep into his smile as he rests his cheek against the top of Kurt's head, already drifting off.

_It's snowing, and maybe that should be the first sign, but it isn't._

_As he crunches through the crisp, fresh-fallen turf, Blaine looks around and sees a single figure in the near-distance, smiling invitingly at him before looking out over a sea of ivory. Bryant Park is silent at this hour, hushed and coated in a layer of unbroken white that invites the senses to indulge, that seems to welcome every movement as he steps closer to Kurt._

_He's dressed warmly, scarf, gloves, boot, and coat, and Blaine can't help but wish for gloves as he tucks his own bare hands under his arms instead, shuffling closer until he finally reaches Kurt's place in the path._

_"Sleigh bells ring – are you listening?" Kurt sings, and Blaine's smile seems to flush his entire face as he continues, "In the lane, snow is glistening."_

_"A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland."_

_Stepping away from him, not so quickly that Blaine needs to follow, he sings lightly, "Gone away is the blue bird. Here to stay is the new bird. He sings a love song, as we go along, walking in a winter wonderland." Reaching forward, extending his arms, he takes Blaine's half-frozen fingers in his hands and pulls him along, giving them a light, inviting squeeze._

_Blaine needs no further prompting as he follows Kurt, gaze on his, eyes bright blue and shining. "In the meadow we can build a snowman," he sings, impulsively releasing Kurt's hands so he can scoop up a double-handful of snow, laughing when Kurt nails him with a snowball while his head is still ducked._

_"And pretend that he is Parson Brown," he sings, delighted, as Blaine tosses his retaliatory snowball halfheartedly, hurrying over to take his hands again._

_"He'll say, 'Are you married?' We'll say, 'No, man!'" Blaine belts, tugging him along lightly as Kurt just smiles at him, following easily in his footsteps._

_"But you can do the job when you're in town," they chorus, moving away from the clear-cut path and towards the tree-line._

_"Later on, we'll conspire, as we breathe, by the fire." Kurt releases his hands and hurries over to a bench, brushing off a space for himself and settling down as Blaine scurries to do the same on his opposite side._

_"To face unafraid, the things that we've made, walking in a winter wonderland," they sing, almost teasing each other as Blaine gets to his feet, already padding away from him and trusting Kurt to follow._

_"In the meadow we can build a snowman," he echoes, soft as before as Kurt rises to his feet, footprints already fading after them as they step deeper into the heart of white, uninterrupted and unafraid. "And pretend that he's a circus clown."_

_"We'll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman," Kurt agrees, pressing him backward with each step, neither touching until Blaine trips over a root, landing flat on his back while Kurt laughs and offers him a hand. "Until the other kiddies knock him down!"_

_Pulling himself back to his feet, Blaine can only watch in amazement as Kurt sings softly, "When it snows – ain't it thrilling? Though your nose gets a chilling. We'll frolic and play," he teases, sliding his hands into Blaine's coat pockets so he can pull him close, no more space between them as he adds softly, barely a breath away, "The Eskimo way, walking in a winter wonderland." _

_"Walking in a winter wonderland," Blaine joins softly, leaning in for a kiss as Kurt's warm, gloved hands rise up to cradle his cheeks, and it's warm and sweet and _perfect, _and Kurt's already leaning forward and deepening the kiss just as –_

"_Santana, _oh my God!" Kurt groans, startling Blaine awake as he sits up, throwing the pillow back at her as Santana makes a vague, "What? You two were going at it."

Blaine blushes a little as he sits up with Kurt, grateful that Dani's chosen not to intercede other than a soft, almost chastising, "Babe," as she kisses Santana's cheek once. "Leave them alone. It's Christmas."

Padding Kurt's hip, deciding that they might be better off in their bedroom, it takes an effort to Kurt get to his feet, wobbling and sleepy and bristling as he is, but the bedroom isn't fair and Kurt face-plants on top of the covers before Blaine can get out so much as a _Honey._

Sighing softly to himself in amusement – and marveling that this beautiful, wonderful, amazing person has agreed to be _his _– he carefully tugs the covers back and tucks them over Kurt, sliding in on the opposite side as he flicks off the light. Kurt immediately shuffles over to his side, resting his cheek over his heart as Blaine drapes his own arm around him, tracing his thumb in soft circles against his shoulder.

"You know you're –" Kurt hiccups once silently, Blaine's fingers rubbing patiently until he catches the train of thought again and adds in a still slurred voice, "You're the best, right? Out of – out of everyone I could have had, you're the best."

Blaine's heart twists a little at the thought that Kurt would ever be with anyone else even though he knows that it's perfectly rational, that it _was _a viable option not so longer ago. Things are different between them, now: they're fiancés. He loves Kurt, and Kurt loves him, and as he presses a kiss to the top of his head, he whispers without fear or resentment or pain, "Go to sleep, angel."

Kurt shuffles closer, hiccupping again, and presses his face against the side of Blaine's chest, already drifting off.

Blaine stays awake a while longer, just holding him close and treasuring what he has to hold.

At last, sleep-heavy and warm, Kurt murmurs, "Love you," and Blaine echoes, "I love you, too."

He doesn't need to say it to hear the inherent _Merry Christmas _tied in as Kurt tangles his foot between Blaine's and lets go of the world for a while.

Pressing one last kiss to his forehead, Blaine does the same, and joins him in sleep, body, mind, and soul.


End file.
